FALCON 9/DRAGON SPACE CAPSULE: PREPARING FOR ISS DOCKING

Over the last several months, SpaceX has been hard at work preparing for
our next flight – a mission designed to demonstrate that a
privately-developed space transportation system can deliver cargo to and
from the International Space Station (ISS). NASA has given us a Nov.
30, 2011 launch date, which should be followed nine days later by Dragon
berthing at the ISS.

NASA has agreed in principle to allow SpaceX to combine all of the tests
and demonstration activities that we originally proposed as two
separate missions (COTS Demo 2 and COTS Demo 3) into a single mission.
Furthermore, SpaceX plans to carry additional payloads aboard the Falcon
9’s second stage which will deploy after Dragon separates and is well
on its way to the ISS. NASA will grant formal approval for the combined
COTS missions pending resolution of any potential risks associated with
these secondary payloads. Our team continues to work closely with NASA
to resolve all questions and concerns.

This next mission represents a huge milestone not only for SpaceX, but
also for NASA and the US space program. When the astronauts stationed on
the ISS open the hatch and enter the Dragon spacecraft for the first
time, it will mark the beginning of a new era in space travel.

Through continued private-public partnerships like the one that helped
develop the Falcon 9 and Dragon system, commercial companies will
transform the way we access space. Together, government and the private
sector can simultaneously increase the reliability, safety and
frequency of space travel, while greatly reducing the costs.

The update below highlights our recent progress towards the combined
C2/C3 mission and missions beyond. From the 1,500 team members here at
SpaceX, thank you for your continued support, and for joining us in this
exciting, vital adventure.

Since our last flight, we have made significant upgrades to the launch
pad to streamline the countdown. For example, we installed new liquid
oxygen (LOX) pumps that reduced our previous loading time from 90
minutes to under 30. Improvements like this are getting us closer to
our long term goal of Falcon 9 going from hangar to liftoff in under an
hour. This is no easy task for a vehicle with about the same takeoff
weight as a fully loaded Boeing 747, but if a 747 can do it reliably day
after day, then Falcon 9 can too.